Chavez's tour of OPEC nations arrives in Baghdad

Venezuelan president first head of state to visit Hussein in 10 years

In this story: Iraq warms to Chavez proposals U.S. calls visit "galling" Nurturing ties with Communist countries RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq treated Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to a warm welcome on Thursday as the maverick South American leader began a one-day visit to the U.N.-punished Mideast country and its isolated leader, Saddam Hussein.

To the delight of his hosts and the scorn of the United States, Chavez crossed the Iran-Iraq border by limousine to become the first head of state to visit Iraq since the start of the Gulf War 10 years ago.

"What can I do if they (Americans) get upset?" Chavez told reporters at the border, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. "We have dignity and Venezuela is a sovereign country. It has the right to make decisions it deems suit its interests."

	MESSAGE BOARDS
Situation in Iraq Rising oil prices

The left-leaning Chavez is making a 10-day tour of fellow members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to invite every leader to a 40th anniversary OPEC summit planned for September 27 in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. Venezuela, South America's only OPEC member, currently holds the presidency of the organization.

Respecting the international ban on flights to and from Iraq, Chavez drove across the border from Iran to al-Mundhariya, Iraq, where he was met by Iraqi Vice President Yasin Ramadan, Cabinet ministers and senior members of the ruling Baath party.

From al-Mundhariya, Chavez boarded Hussein's presidential helicopter for the flight to Baghdad and the official welcome. Hussein, who had been expected to greet Chavez, was not present at Saddam International Airport. Instead, the Iraq president was represented by Izzat Ibrahim, Hussein's No. 2 on the all powerful Revolutionary Command Council.

Iraqi officials were so ecstatic over the official visit, seeing it as a crack in the international isolation that has prevailed since the Gulf War, that Chavez's arrival was reported about an hour before it actually took place.

"Welcome to President Chavez," said a large headline in the state-run al-Thawra newspaper on Thursday. The government daily, al-Qadissiya, praised Chavez's "courageous decision to visit Iraq."

And the al-Iraq newspaper said, "The Venezuelan president challenges sanctions and decided to visit Iraq even if he had to do it riding a camel."

Chavez's arrival point in Iraq, a complex of concrete bungalows built three years ago to process Iranian pilgrims on their way to Shiite Muslim holy places in Iraq, was gleaming on Thursday. Limousines that had brought the Iraqi officials to greet him were parked outside, and a mass of reporters gathered near the border post's VIP lounge.

Iraq warms to Chavez proposals

Hussein is not expected to attend next month's OPEC summit because of security concerns. It is assumed he has not left Iraq since the Gulf War.

But Chavez's trip has already borne fruit. Iraqi Oil Ministry officials have said they regard Venezuela, previously a notorious breaker of OPEC production quotas, as an "oil-producing partner" with whom they can coordinate plans to counter the influence of Saudi Arabia.

Iraq also appears to be changing its mind on the Venezuelan leader's proposal for an oil price band -- Chavez's goal is $25 per barrel -- that would spark an automatic production increase if the price ventures higher or a production decrease should it slip lower.

Abdulillah al-Tikriti, head of the Iraqi Oil Ministry's economic section, said, "We agree with what Chavez is lobbying for."

He added that Iraq would accept Chavez's ideas for a price band.

U.S. calls visit 'galling'

Chavez's trip to Iraq has provoked controversy. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday that it was "particularly galling" that the first visit to Iraq by a head of state is by a democratically elected leader.

Chavez, who coasted to a re-election victory in July, is adored by the poor majority in the South American oil-exporter that is home to 23 million people.

Referring to Boucher's remarks, an Iraqi spokesman told Iraq's state news agency that Chavez's visit was "another slap in the face of American rulers ... for their rejected practices in the international arena."

In Caracas, Foreign Minister Jose Vicente Rangel on Tuesday also shrugged off Boucher's criticism.

"President Chavez is free to travel the world," said Rangel during a press briefing. "This is a sovereign act by a chief of state of a sovereign nation."

Venezuela, OPEC's sole South American member, "cannot only apply the Western vision of democracy," Rangel said. "We cannot be judges of OPEC members ... We won't do anything to harm OPEC unity."

CNN Correspondent Jane Arraf, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Iraq calls Chavez visit a 'slap' in Washington's face
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U.S. condemns planned trip to Iraq by Venezuelan president
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Venezuela dismisses U.S. criticism of Chavez's visit to Iraq
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Venezuelan political, economic questions follow re-election of Chavez
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OPEC agrees to increase production; Iran, Iraq dissent
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February 14, 2000

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
Citgo Corporation
Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.: The National Oil Company of Venezuela (Spanish, available in English)
Presidencia de la Repœblica de Venezuela (Spanish)
U.S. Energy Information Administration
  •  Venezuela Energy Profile
  •  Iraq Energy Profile
Venezuela Oil & Energy
Petroleum World: Venezuela Oil and Gas
Regional Association of Oil and Natural Gas Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S. National Council for Science and the Environment
  •  Issue Brief: World Oil Production After Year 2000

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